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GSA Adds Paging Services to FTS2001 Contract with MCI WorldCom

Note: Archived news releases may contain contact names, telephone numbers, Web links, or other information that is outdated. You may reach a public affairs officer at 202-501-1231. For a list of public affairs officers by beat, visit http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101120.

September 28, 1999
GSA # 9609
Contact: Bill Bearden (202) 501-1231

GSA Negotiates Competitive Prices for Paging Service Features and Coverage

Washington, DC -- The U.S. General Services Administration and MCI WorldCom have modified their FTS2001 telecommunications service contract to include one- and two-way paging services as part of one-stop shopping for telecommunications services.

One-way or basic service offers numeric paging and text paging up to 240 characters. Enhanced one-way paging provides assured delivery. Two-way or full interactive paging supports text messages of 500 to 2,000 characters depending on the paging device. Two-way paging lets the user reply from the pager using either a preset response or a message composed by the user and lets the user send e-mail from the pager.

MCI WorldCom's FTS2001 paging services offer SkyTel's comprehensive 50-state coverage with choices from 50 major metropolitan areas, regional service from 6 overlapping areas or nationwide coverage. On May 28, 1999, MCI WorldCom, Inc. announced it would acquire SkyTel Communications, Inc. through a merger. MCI's FTS2001 paging service also includes expanded local coverage in more than 1,000 major U.S. cities through PageMart that reaches 90% of the U.S. population.

"MCI's one-stop, paging services package is a great addition to our [FTS] comprehensive set of telecommunications services," said Dennis Fischer, Commissioner of GSA's Federal Technology Service. "And its total integration with FTS2001 to simplify management is part of GSA's added value."

The FTS2001 paging service package offers many advantages to the Government:

No Activation Fee - Through the end of fiscal year 2000
Low Prices - Monthly recurring charges average 11%-19% below the lowest comparable prices, coverage and other factors considered.
No Term Commitment - Any user can cancel for any reason at any time without additional liability other than returning the paging equipment.
Paging Devices Included in Prices - GSA's competitive prices include the use of paging devices supplied by MCI WorldCom from Motorola and Glenayre.
Free Upgrades - Upgrades and downgrades are free of charge at the customer's request. The new device is forwarded to the customer via 2nd Day Air service.
Character Aggregation - Groups of users can pool their included monthly character allotment (10,000 through 100,000 characters) for additional savings.
Loss Protection Insurance - Included with all service packages at no additional charge.
Integrated with FTS2001 Management - Service ordering, billing, trouble reporting and monthly reports follow FTS2001 procedures
Credit Allowance for Outage - One day's credit for a confirmed 4-hour outage
Price Management Mechanism - Annual review of paging services prices
Customer Furnished Pagers -- A future enhancement to paging services

Users can send a page via a toll free number using a touch-tone phone or via a web browser. In addition, for alphanumeric pagers users can access the paging network using paging software available for Windows 95 and 98 and the Macintosh operating system.

Coverage maps for MCI's FTS2001 paging services are available on line at http://www.wcom.com/services_for_business/paging/.

This is the latest in a series of modifications that allows GSA to enhance the FTS2001 contracts with up-to-date commercial telecommunications services and improvements available from MCI WorldCom. to meet customer agency needs.